Mitt Romney gets first primary challenger

Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney will face a primary challenge after a Utah mayor announced he would seek to unseat the moderate lawmaker, who has long attracted the ire of former President Donald Trump and his supporters.

Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs released his first campaign video on Tuesday, in which he highlighted Romney's move to Utah and alleged failure to follow through on his campaign promises. 

"The only thing I've seen him fight for are the establishment, wokeness, open borders, impeaching President Trump, and putting us even deeper into debt," he said in the video. He further lamented the state of national affairs, asserting "[w]e have more IRS agents than border agents, and while we're paying $4 a gallon for gas, they're sending our money unchecked to Ukraine. Now we're almost $32 trillion in debt. Enough is enough."

Staggs expounded on Romney's record in a statement to Fox news, telling the outlet that "[u]nfortunately, Mitt Romney has let personal beefs get in the way of good governance. From not standing with Mike Lee against raising the debt ceiling to voting for the $1.7 trillion omnibus, he has helped drive us deeper in debt."

He then contrasted Romney's vote to impeach Trump with his decision to support the confirmation of Supreme Court Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

The Riverton mayor first attracted considerable attention in 2020 due in part to his staunch opposition to mask mandates, Fox noted.

Romney, for his part, has not yet made a final decision on whether to seek reelection, but has already filed the necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to do so. The ultimate winner of the Republican primary is all but certain to serve as senator, given Utah's status as a Republican bastion.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.